A letter from Herbert of Losinga, bishop of Norwich ()

Translated letter:

John, friend of Christ, whom Christ loved with a special love, in whose nuptials he converted water to wine, so that he might draw you away from those nuptials, lest you be contaminated by the contact of the flesh, you who would preach the Word made flesh to the world; John, I say, the lover of Christ, who in the last supper of our Savior with his disciples, the first of the sacrifice and participation of the Lord’s body and blood, you reclined on the breast of that salvation, you rested, that you might drink from the ancient fountain of that breast what you would preach to all peoples, namely the true light, that enlightens every man who comes into this world, fixing your eyes on him in the sun, like an eagle, to which no mortal could raise his mind; John, who at the cross of Christ and under the cross of Christ became the brother of Christ and son of the mother of Christ, when he said to his mother about you:  Behold your son; and to you equally about his mother granted:  Behold your mother; John who placed in burning oil did not burn, by the deserving chill of your virginity, lest you burn in  the raging fire; but why do I, your handmaid who am not able to offer worthy praise, draw out my prayer?  John, then, who, when placed in exile, lived among the angels, and when brought back into the city of your bishopric, raised the dead, drank poison and felt nothing, turned stones into jewels and wood into gold, and turned them back into their own nature; John, to whom, growing old in the truth, with hosts of angels and the senate of apostles, that supreme emperor, for whom you had fought so victoriously, appeared so sweetly before your end, and said to you, come my beloved one, to feast at my banquet with your brothers, whose fellowship you have awaited with deep sighs; John, who comforted by such consolation, approached your holy altar, insulated by symbols, greeted your people, fortified your last moments with the unfailing viaticum, which you had made with your own hands and then, unharmed, entered the place dug for your burial, and there disposed by unusual and solemn burial rites, restored your soul and body to Christ your lover, as free from the pain of death as you had lived pure from the contagion of the flesh; John, then, who are so much and such as I predicted or rather as I wished to say but the illustrious matter of your glories choked the attempts of the speaker, I beg you, look at your handmaid, heed the devotion of a weary mind, heal my sickness, offer the awaited healing.  See the moans, see the  sighs, see the lamentations, and comfort the heart of your afflicted handmaiden.  For you are indeed a virgin, and a son of the Virgin, but your master was also a virgin; he commited no sin who accepted Mary the sinner and submitted his head to her anointing, who presented his feet to be washed by her tears, who did not refuse her kisses, who comforted the penitent, and answered the thoughts of the murmuring Pharisee:  many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved much.  John, have compassion on this handmaid prostrate and bowed down at your feet; do not despise her lying there, for whom Christ your lover gave his life.  By your intercessions I ask to be reconciled to Christ, who honored you with the privilege of his love.  Before all other saints I have chosen you alone and chosen as my patron the one I hear was loved before all others.  Obtain pardon for my negligences, and relieve the despairing one with your visitations.  May you have, o blessed John, all your companion friends with you, to relive my  anxieties, whom I have made my enemies by living negligently.  Plead, John, plead the cause of your mourning handmaid, to the most merciful ears of the eternal Judge, who puts mercy before judgment, and prefers the life of our resurrection to exercising the wrath of his punishment.  He could not deny indulgence to my sins at your request,  who ordered you and your comrades to intercede for those from whom you were suffering persecution.  May I come, o blessed John, may I come, finally through your merits to reconciliation!  May I contemplate the tranquillity of the divine face, may I embrace the fruition; may I come to the kingdom, may I come to the palace, may I come to the banquet, by whose  delights the blessed angels and their fellow citizens, all the elect, are refreshed and, with immortal vision, are sated with the ineffable sweetness and the sweet ineffabiality of the divine essence.  Gathered into that eternal city, o blessed John, let me hear the song which you sing and the virgins, who follow the Lamb wherever he goes, sing.   Finally, o most blessed John, that the cry of my heart and of my prayer may come to an end, render and commend your handmaid, to be preserved eternally, into the protection of your lady and mother the Virgin Mary, who mercifully adopted you, and gave birth naturally to Christ, her son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with the father and the holy spirit, God for ever and ever.  Amen.

Original letter:

Johannes, amice Christi, quem Christus amoris privilegio dilexit, in cujus nuptiis aquam in vinum convertit, ut te ex iisdem abstraheret nuptiis, ne carnis contaminaris contactu, qui Verbum carnem factum mundo fueras praedicaturus; Johannes, inquam, amator Christi, qui in nostri Salvatoris ultimo cum discipulis convivio, et Dominici corporis et sanguinis immolationis et participationis primo, super ipsius salutis pectus recubuisti, quievisti, ut ex ipsius pectoris archano fonte potares quod universis gentibus praedicares, verum videlicet lumen, quod illuminat omnem hominem in hunc mundum venientem, eum in solem, more aquilae, tuos oculos infigens quo nullus mortalium elevaverat mentem; Johannes, qui in cruce Christi et sub cruce Christi factus es frater Christi et filius matris Christi, cum et matri de te diceret: Ecce filius tuus; et tibi de matre aeque conceditur: Ecce mater tua; Johannes qui in ferventi positus oleo non arsisti, tuae virginitatis praemerente refrigerio, ne saevienti flagrares incendio . . . Sed quo protraho, tua ancilla, eam orationem quae tuam assequi non valeo admirationem? Johannes, itaque, qui in exilio positus inter angelos vivebas, qui ad tui praesulatus civitatem relatus mortuos resuscitabas, virus bibebas et non curabas, lapides in gemmas, ligna in aurum convertebas, itemque eadem ad propriam naturam reformabas; Johannes cui in veritate senescenti cum agminibus angelorum, et cum senatu apostolorum summus ille imperator, cui victoriosissime militaveras, ante tuum finem dulcissimus apparuit, tibi inquiens: Veni, dilecte mi, epulaturus in convivio meo cum fratribus tuis quorum collegium longis suspiriis expectasti; Johanne qui tanta confortatus consolatione, sacras ad aras tuas insulatus insigniis accessisti, tuum populum salutasti, indeficienti viatico, quod ipse tuis manibus confeceras, tua extrema communuisti, atque inde fossum tuae sepulturae locum incolumis introisti, ibique solemnibus in singularibus exsequiis compositus animam et corpus tuo amatori Christo reddidisti, tam immunis a dolore mortis quam purus vixeras a contagione carnis; Johannes, igitur, qui tantus ac talis es quantum praedixi, imo quantum dicere volui, sed dicentis conatus tuarum gloriarum praeclara materia suffocavit, obsecro, tuam respice ancillam, fatigatae mentis attende devotionem, cura aegritudinem, expectatam porrige medicinam! Vide gemitus, vide suspiria, vide lamenta, et afflictae ancillae consolare praecordia. Virgo quidem es et Virginis filius, sed et ille tuus magister virgo erat; peccatum non fecerat qui Mariam peccatricem colligebat, cujus unguentis caput subponebat, pedes lachrymis abluendos exhibebat, oscula non abnuebat, poenitentem confortabat, murmurantis Pharisei cogitationibus respondebat: Dimissa sunt ei peccata multa, quoniam dilexit multum. Johannes, hujus ancillae prostratae et tuis pedibus advolutae miserere; ne despicias jacentem pro qua amator tuus Christus suam impendit vitam. Tuis inteventionibus exigo reconciliari Christo qui te suae dilectionis insignivit privilegio. Prae caeteris sanctis unum te decrevi, et decrevi mihi patronum quem prae caeteris audio esse dilectum. Impetra veniam negligentiis meis, et releva desperantem visitationibus tuis. Habeas tecum, o Beate Johannes, in his meis anxietatibus relevandis, omnes socios amicos tuos quos negligenter vivendo mihi praeparavi inimicos. Age, Johannes, age, merentis ancillae causam apud clementissimas aures aeterni judicis qui misericordiam judicio praeponit, et mavult nostrae resurrectionis vitam quam suae exercere punitionis indignationem. Non poterit tibi roganti meorum peccatorum negare indulgentiam, qui et tibi et tuis consodalibus praecepit, ut pro eis intercederitis quorum etiam patiebamini persecutionem. Veniam tandem, veniam, o Beate Johannes, tuis meritis ad reconciliationem! Divini vultus intuear tranquillitatem, complectar fruitionem; veniam ad regnum, veniam ad palatium, veniam ad convivium cujus deliciis beati Angeli atque eorum concives omnes electi reficiuntur, immortalique contuitu, divinae substantiae ineffabili dulcedine atque dulci ineffabilitate satiantur. Illa igitur aeterna in civitate, o Beate Johannes, collecta, audiam canticum quod et tu cantas, et illae tecum cantant virgines qui sequuntur Agnum quocumque ierit. Postremo, o Beatissime Johannes, ut et cordis et meae orationis tandem concludatur clamor, redde et commoda ancillam tuam aeternaliter conservandam patrocinio Dominae et matris tuae virginis Mariae que et te misericorditer adoptavit, et Christum naturaliter genuit, filium suum, Dominum nostrum, qui cum patre et Spiritu Sancto vivit et regnat Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Historical context:

Herbert sent the queen this prayer written in the first person for her to recite to John the Evangelist, presumably at her request.

Printed source:

Epistolae Herberti de Losinga, Primi Episcopi Norwicensis ed. A. Robert Anstruther (New York, Burt Franklin, 1969, first pub. 1846), ep.18 p.33-37.